"Sasha, If I'm running for my life later, I'm going to be furious. Did you pick an appropriate target for the Phoenix?" Vivian asked. She took a peek at the adorable baby Phoenix in question, perched on her shoulder, fast asleep.

Of course. I have taken into account its 'Last Stand' efforts. It will have no problems with the acquired target.

"Last stand effort? You're still underestimating the nearly-dead, and now you are overestimating the living. As much as this mistake would be another good lesson for you, I have a vested interest in staying alive. Here are some things to think about; try to keep up." Vivian smacked her palm against her face in frustration.

She trotted off where there were fewer animals. She glanced at her map, making a quick note of the nearest creatures. She began throwing requests at Sasha like a shotgun.

"Clear the map, and display only the marked target and the Phoenix. Now, make the Phoenix indicator grey. Lastly, compare the target to the Phoenix." Vivian smiled with satisfaction, glad that Sasha had managed to follow all that.

The smile vanished in an instant. "You selected a target that's black, and you've colored the Phoenix closer to white than grey."

Is there a problem? The Phoenix previously displayed the amount of strength necessary to compensate for the difference.

"I wish I could slap you repeatedly right now. I know that the Phoenix said 'the stronger, the better.'; but there's a hidden 'within reason' that goes with that. What if the animal survives everything that this little Phoenix is capable of doing? Consider what you know about a 'near-death' condition from what you've seen the Phoenix do. Tell me, if a creature that much stronger than the Phoenix entered a life or death situation, what do you envision it would be capable of?"

Vivian could feel Sasha's normally stoic demeanor flicker for a moment, but the next thing she saw confirmed it.

Error

"Sasha?" Vivian's inquiry hung in the air. Silence answered her. The map occupying her left eye bleeped out of existence a moment later.

Vivian shrugged as she continued walking on her way, though much more cautiously than before. I miss that map, but it isn't like it's necessary. The forest was my home for a long time. I lived steeped in its dangers, hiding from predators and hunters alike. Through the years and all the sacrifices of my race, I stand alone.

Grandfather.

A single tear ran down her face as she continued making her way forward. She hardened her heart and wiped it away. Mourning was not a luxury afforded to her.

How many times was I dragged along, screaming and crying, as we fled?

How many of my family have I watched die?

How many times did my whimpering cost them their lives?

She clenched her hand into a fist. That little girl is gone. And this -Vivian looked down at her hands- I am all that remains. The last remnant of the race.

She carved her path forward. She approached the familiar clearing in the forest. After she requested water indicators on the map, she had made frequent visits here. She still remembered that first feel of the water in her mouth, how cool and refreshing it was. How she greedily drank her fill until she felt ready to burst, and her stomach had bloated uncomfortably. She smiled, remembering that painful feeling. None of the other watering holes in the forest could compare, and she returned here once again.

She sat down at the edge of the water and looked into the serene pond. The crystal clear water reflected her pure white eyes, her shoulder-length black hair, and her ashen grey face. A pink feathered Phoenix perched on her shoulder, deep in slumber with its feathers puffed out. She chuckled lightly. Setting the Phoenix down gently on the ground, she lowered herself to partake of the pond.

Her pouting lips kissed the surface of the water; she closed her eyes and drank in silence. After taking three mouthfuls of the refreshing water, she opened her eyes. Pure white globes stared back at her, emphasized by the grey of her face. All the horrible things these eyes had seen, and yet they remained as pure as snow.

She cupped her hands in the water and splashed her face, washing away the dirt and grime that had accumulated since she visited last. She relaxed slightly as the water smoothed her stress away. She lifted herself slowly from the water and turned around to find the baby Phoenix silently watching her.

"Something wrong?" Vivian asked as the Phoenix seemed to be scrutinizing her appearance.

"Wrong? Perhaps. Different? Yes," the Phoenix chirped in reply as its head darted up and down her body.

"Different how?" Vivian asked as she picked up the Phoenix and placed it back on her shoulder.

"The fire I saw in you is gone. Also, I can now see your baby," the Phoenix spoke with admiration as it finished speaking. "Now, as for your child. This is more than your race should be."

Was Sasha hiding my baby from the world? Vivian pondered. The Phoenix fell silent, seeing the frown appear on Vivian's face.

"Yes, that was Sasha. My baby-" Vivian stated.

"Shh, for your safety, say no more, " the Phoenix interrupted.

Vivian turned her head to look at the Phoenix. She saw it staring, and its pink feathers were cutely puffed out. She followed its gaze. Her eyes locked on the giant animal that just entered the tiny clearing.

"A beldereaver." Vivian's heart sunk as she took in the sheer size of it. Her head tilted back on her neck to look up at its face.

It had a large and sleek body, completely covered with short fur, built for speed. From the body, a long rope-like tail twirled in anticipation, four muscled legs ending in wolf-like paws with sharp claws scraped the ground.

Its face pulled forward with the mouth ending in a snout covered in long whiskers and razored fangs jutting down past its jaw. It had two sets of ears.

The first set, lower on its head, resembled rat ears. These finely tuned ears could hear the heartbeat of anything nearby.

The second set of ears stood straight up on top of its head and resembled ears from a wolf. This set enabled the beldereaver to hear the breathing of a mouse a mile away.

Many moons passed since the last prey escaped this fearsome animal.

Through many years of hunting, this beastly beldereaver learned the meaning of specific beats the heart makes.

Tension.

Fear.

Desperation.

These sounds became as plain as scent.

The beldereaver smiled as it looked down upon them, a dangerous smile curled its mouth.

"What a monster. I'm afraid I'm too small to carry you away. How fast can you run?" the Phoenix chirped to Vivian without taking its eyes from the beldereaver.

The creature licked its lips subconsciously, revealing a short rat-like tongue, and leaped into action. Forget listening to their hearts, the smell of fear emanated from the grey skin.

"Move!" The Phoenix slapped Vivian across the face with its wing and abandoned her shoulder. She flew straight towards the colossal beldereaver's head. The baby Phoenix looked like a mosquito flitting about in its vision.

Vivian reeled from the slap; it kickstarted her heart that had frozen in fear. She watched for a couple of seconds as the Phoenix futilely attempted to buy time for her to run.

"Sasha, if you're there, that map would be great right now." Vivian quickly scanned the clearing to gather her options. Vivian made a simple choice. I'm just going to run as far away from it as I can.

The Phoenix released some of its mana creating a dweomer in the air around it. Seconds later, the dweomer exploded into a fire column. Vivian took that moment to turn tail and bolt into the underbrush.

The flames singed off the giant beldereaver's whiskers and cut the path to its prey. It gave vent to snarl and turned its gaze toward the tiny Phoenix in annoyance. Lifting its massive left foreleg, it swatted down at the Phoenix.

The Phoenix watched the paw approaching and maneuvered slightly. It whizzed passed the Phoenix, the paw and claws missed completely.

When the flames died down, the Phoenix turned to look for Vivian. It sighed in relief to see she took the opportunity to run. When it looked back at the beldereaver, the Phoenix's entire demeanor changed.

The Phoenix repeatedly slammed its body into the beldereaver. These hits surprised the beldereaver; shock and panic flooded its mind. The Phoenix tore through the beldereaver's skin, ripping and rending chunks of its flesh and ate them. The beldereaver continually attempted to knock the Phoenix away.

"Are you intimidated yet?" the Phoenix taunted as it slapped the beldereaver across the snout with its tiny wing. The beldereaver's whole head turned from the impact and one of its long fangs went flying. It had to brace itself with its leg to stop from falling over. "I will always be the strongest in this forest. Now, if you didn't have a use to me, you'd be ash, or at least a meal, right now."

The beldereaver slowly turned its throbbing face back towards the Phoenix. Genuine fear oozed from its eyes as its vision centered on the Phoenix.

"Did the Phoenix get away safely?" Vivian asked herself as she ran as fast as she could.

Her heart raced as her racial ability kicked into overdrive, spurring her on to exert greater effort. Her body seemed to become lighter as her muscles became more defined. She kicked off the ground, becoming a blur as she raced through the undergrowth. She wasn't ready for the next burst in speed, narrowly avoiding the trees in front of her.

She felt something pull on her mana, slowly draining her limited pool. What is this feeling? Her strides became longer, and her speed increased further.

The Phoenix had flown high up into the air to watch Vivian.

"What in the? Am I truly seeing this right now?" it asked itself as it rubbed its eyes. "Her agility stat just jumped from two to eight points instantly?! I can't imagine she can maintain that for very long, but still, does that work on any stat? Just what?"

Vivian felt the last of her mana disappear, and her body immediately turned sluggish. She tripped over her own feet and tumbled along the forest floor, gaining scrapes and bruises all over her body.

Am I far enough away? What was that? Nevermind the external pain; my body feels like it's on fire. Her eyes closed, and she passed out from sheer exhaustion.

The Phoenix flew down and landed lightly next to Vivian, silently watching over her as she slept.

Vivian sat quietly in between her two sisters. "If there's even a slim chance one of us can fulfill the prophecy, I say we should." Vivian looked between her younger sister and her elder sister, who just spoke, and gave a firm nod, indicating her agreement.

Their grandfather, seated before them, looked at each of them carefully. "Very well. There will be plenty of hardships for each of you when it's complete. Do you accept?"

"Yes, Grandfather." The eldest spoke with no hesitation.

"Yes, Grandfather," Vivian added, her resolve firm.

"Y- yes, Grandfather." The youngest spoke, trying to mask her uncertainty.

He watched with a heavy conscience as they held their heads high and departed. I'm not about to stop them since this is what we all desire. If they knew that this choice would bring our race even closer to extinction, would they make the same decision?

Well, Vivian?

Yes, Vivian thought, even in all the despair, there is hope in this path. Instantly, the dream dissolved into itself, releasing Vivian from the spell.

Vivian opened her eyes, finding herself looking up at the sun, shining brightly in the sky, lying where she had fallen.

"Good morning, Vivian," the Phoenix chirped.

"Good morning-," she replied, faltering as she realized she never asked the Pheonix its name.

"Isa," the Phoenix chirped.

"Isa," Vivian echoed, "What happened to the beldereaver?"

"Er, I led it off into the woods and then escaped by flying away." Isa averted her eyes.

"Thank you for saving my life," Vivian replied as her belly rumbled.

"I'll get something to eat," Isa stated then flew off before Vivian could object.

Tell me you don't believe her lie; she did more than that. No animals came into this area the entire time you were asleep.

"She has her reasons, as do I," Vivian replied cryptically.